With India cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir’s directive to the players to return to domestic fold, senior members including captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and others are expected to feature in the upcoming season of the Ranji Trophy. The second leg of the domestic red-ball tournament commences from January 23, giving a vital platform for these stars to improve their game. Most of the Indian batting-order, especially seniors who are all-format players, have maintained a significant gap since they last featured in the domestic tourney. Now, they have an opportunity to return to the fold and they shouldn’t repeat the past mistake and shy away from taking part in the tournament.
When are India’s stars expected to play Ranji Trophy?
1. Rohit Sharma
If there is one person who surely needs to play Ranji Trophy, it is none other than Rohit Sharma. The Indian captain last played in the tournament in 2015. Since then, he has been prioritizing international cricket and has given the domestic tourney a skip even if given the chance to participate. Sharma has been in miserable form with the bat since the latter half of 2024. In IND vs AUS series, he only managed to score 31 runs. His poor form coupled with flawed techniques require him to return to domestic cricket to rediscover his mojo.
Rohit has the chance to participate in Ranji Trophy when Mumbai take on Jammu & Kashmir on January 23. Should he opt to play, then he will surely be a boost for the side and will play alongside Ajinkya Rahane, Shams Mulani and other domestic cricket veterans who also happen to be his teammates for a long time now.
2. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has been named in Delhi’s probable squad for the upcoming Ranji Trophy season. However, like Rohit, the former Indian skipper last participated in the tournament nearly 12 years ago. One of the primary reasons for the King to return to domestic red-ball cricket is to improve his problems with outside off-stump which cost him his wicket on all eight occasions in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Besides, his form over the last four years in Tests has been miserable, seeing his average dip below 50 for the first time in his career.
In order to prolong his future in the Test side, Kohli needs to return to playing in the Ranji. and unlike in 2024 when he was given the option to play in Duleep Trophy but refused to do so, he shouldn’t repeat the same mistake this time around. Delhi will take on Saurashtra in their opening match of the second leg of Ranji on January 23.
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3. KL Rahul
Another player who has missed Ranji Trophy for quite some time now is KL Rahul. The Karnataka batter last featured in the tournament in 2015. Despite being one of the best batters in the recently concluded tour to Australia, there is still room for a lot of improvement for the batter. With 7262 runs from 103 first-class matches, he was one of the regulars in domestic red-ball tourneys until he became an all-format player. Rahul should make his return to Karnataka for the upcoming season of Ranji and play at least a couple of games before heading to Champions Trophy. Karnataka will take on Punjab on January 23.
4. Rishabh Pant
The last time Rishabh Pant played in the Ranji Trophy was six years ago in 2018. He took part in Duleep Trophy last year (one match) in order to gear up for his return to Test cricket after being on the sidelines following a horrific car crash that saw him be out of action for nearly a year. While he tasted success in the series against Bangladesh, he failed to deliver both in the home series against New Zealand and in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series vs Australia. Pant has played just 17 Ranji Trophy matches so far. At this point of time, it of dire need for the southpaw to return to the domestic fold.
5. Shubman Gill
The Punjab batter last featured in Ranji Trophy in the 2018-19 season. Since then, he has gone on to become an all-format player for the Men in Blue that saw him neglect domestic cricket. While he is arguably one of the best batters in India at the moment, his form has seen a dip in the recent years. Especially in Tests. In his last 13 Test innings, Gill has registered scores of 50+ only on two occasions. In Australia, he failed to convert good starts into decent knocks, letting down the middle-order. Like others, the batter has the golden opportunity to rediscover his rhythm and it could begin with Punjab vs Karnataka on January 23.
| Player | Years since last Ranji match |
| Rohit Sharma | 9 years |
| Virat Kohli | 13 years |
| Shubman Gill | 6 years |
| KL Rahul | 9 years |
| Rishabh Pant | 6 years |
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